Using a case study from ITV, the UK broadcaster, this paper explains how research using high quality audio-visual footage captured from a participants' perspective - using wearable technology - can answer client questions and generate insight. View Summary

Using a case study from ITV, the UK broadcaster, this paper explains how research using high quality audio-visual footage captured from a participants' perspective - using wearable technology - can answer client questions and generate insight.

ITV wanted to understand how people were using its mobile app with TV show the X Factor and learn how to increase engagement and commercial value of the app.

'EyeCams', lightweight glasses that record visual and audio from the wearer's perspective, were used to understand how people were multiscreening whilst watching the X Factor.

This was followed up with an online community and an in-app quantitative questionnaire, with all data sources brought together in academic analysis inspired by behavioural psychology.

Research results led to the app being simplified to demand less attention from users, captured interaction with ads that helped the ad sales team, and helped ITV understand how ads could be made more appealing.

2

Channel Thirteen: TV gone wrong

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Jay Chiat Strategic Excellence Awards, Gold, Best Brief and Best Business Transformation, 2014

This case study explains how PBS, the public and government funded US broadcaster, promoted Channel THIRTEEN, its New York City-based affiliate, to people aged 25-45, highlighting its quality mission by promoting several fake reality TV show concepts. View Summary

This case study explains how PBS, the public and government funded US broadcaster, promoted Channel THIRTEEN, its New York City-based affiliate, to people aged 25-45, highlighting its quality mission by promoting several fake reality TV show concepts.

The channel had found support peaked when it was threatened with loss of federal funding, but this threat didn't exist at the time of the campaign.

Instead, Channel THIRTEEN was positioned as being the last educational and cultural channel, in an era when reality TV programming was increasing in popularity.

A series of fake TV shows were created and promoted like real shows usually are: with outdoor and TV ads and social media activity - bringing attention to the problem in a light-hearted way.

This approach generated significant PR buzz, with coverage across mainstream media and blogs generating in excess of 182 earned media impressions, leading to a 60% increase in memberships year-on-year.

This case study explains how private online news provider NetEase pushed China's strict state controls by challenging people not to follow the news blindly. View Summary

This case study explains how private online news provider NetEase pushed China's strict state controls by challenging people not to follow the news blindly.

Online news in China is stagnant: portals are restricted to running government-approved stories from official sources, and strict government controls make pushing the envelope difficult and risky.

This runs counter to the desires of an increasingly discerning audience, in particular the post-1980s generation (ages 24 to 33), which is more curious, independent-minded and certainly more critical of what they read in the news.

NetEase wanted to engage this outspoken group to steal readership from the dominant government-owned news outlets and large web portals which also send news feeds to their users (while also remaining within the bounds of the country's strict media controls).

By positioning the brand not merely as another reporter of news, but as a champion of people's views, the 'Your Thinking DNA' campaign dared Chinese readers to 'think more' and 'not follow the news blindly'.

This helped position NetEase as a much-needed, fresh alternative for online news: by the end of the campaign, NetEase portal's monthly readership share grew by 10% (largely at the expense of state-owned portals), whilst NetEase's news app surged 136% to become number 1 in the marketplace.

This case study explains how Expedia, the online travel agent, used one emotional campaign strategy to tackle two different challenges in the UK and France. View Summary

This case study explains how Expedia, the online travel agent, used one emotional campaign strategy to tackle two different challenges in the UK and France.

In the UK the challenge was increased competition in the online travel category, leading to consumers choosing by price, and in France there was a less mature online travel market with Expedia a little known player.

The campaign targeted people who see travel as an essential investment in their well-being by positioning it as an investment in personal growth.

The 'Travel yourself interesting' campaign allowed ads to move away from clichéd imagery and focus on the impact travel has on people.

This paper reveals the research methodology and findings of MTV's annual youth study in India, for which the music and entertainment TV channel wanted a deeper engagement across a wider group of young Indians. View Summary

This paper reveals the research methodology and findings of MTV's annual youth study in India, for which the music and entertainment TV channel wanted a deeper engagement across a wider group of young Indians.

The methodology took inspiration from the notion of intrinsic motivation, which says that performance and motivation is highest when people are driven by internal desire rather than external inducements.

A select group of young people were recruited as lead respondents who were interviewed in their home, led discussion groups of their friends and reported back on their peer groups over time; the research also employed digital communities.

The reported output comes under three broad findings about Indian youth: they are happy and curious, and their definitions of life are changing; relationships are becoming more important and meaningful to them; and they are returning to old-school values.

6

SKY Television: Bring down the King

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The Communication Agencies Association of New Zealand, Gold, New Zealand Effie Awards, 2014

This case study describes how SKY Television, a New Zealand broadcaster, used a stunt to promote a new season of the popular TV program Game of Thrones. View Summary

This case study describes how SKY Television, a New Zealand broadcaster, used a stunt to promote a new season of the popular TV program Game of Thrones.

SKY needed to tackle two problems: to convince people who hadn't watched the show before to watch this fourth season of Game of Thrones, and to convince people who loved the show to wait until broadcast rather than download it online.

People loved many different things about the show, but one thing they agreed on was the evil nature of King Joffrey - even people who had never seen the show had heard of him.

SKY placed a large statue of Joffrey in a square in Auckland, and after 12 hours of saying nothing put a noose around its neck and launched a live stream online.

Every tweet to '#bringdowntheking' tightened the noose, promising to topple the statue when enough people had tweeted about it.

7

Brands, Health and Wellness: Your Health, Yourself

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WPP Atticus Awards, Highly Commended, Corporate, 2013

This article examines how brands can help consumers make use of personal data to manage their health and wellbeing. View Summary

This article examines how brands can help consumers make use of personal data to manage their health and wellbeing.

Having access to more personal health information can help people to fully understand and appreciate the risks and rewards of our daily behaviours and change them accordingly.

There are also potential drawbacks, including the disappointment of missing out on goals, pressure over sharing results, an inability to analyse the data and privacy concerns over opening up more personal data.

Specific recommendations for personalised health programmes are determined by looking into five key areas - fitness, nutrition, adherence, over-the-counter (OTC) and personalised medicine - through the eyes of a typical consumer in Europe.

8

From TV to Total Video: How Integrated Video Planning Can Transition Advertising from 'Upfronts' to 'Allfronts'

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comScore, June 2014

This article explores issues surrounding changes in video viewing habits as more people watch digital video on different devices and how this impacts on audience measurement, and proposes a 'total video' model for more effective advertising. View Summary

This article explores issues surrounding changes in video viewing habits as more people watch digital video on different devices and how this impacts on audience measurement, and proposes a 'total video' model for more effective advertising.

A 'total video' approach to measurement is viewer-centric, providing a single audience metric across platforms, with the ability to report granular details about niche audiences and platforms.

De-duplication is vital for accurate cross-platform measurement and understanding how people are being reached by advertising.

Total video allows the advertising opportunity offered by digital video to be fully realised by making monetising content and ensuring effective advertising easier.

9

The ultimate guide to licensing content

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Research on Warc, NewsCred, April 2014

This report from NewsCred provides advice for brands on licensing high quality content from publishers. View Summary

This report from NewsCred provides advice for brands on licensing high quality content from publishers. When it is not possible to achieve a large enough volume of good quality content in-house, brands can purchase the rights to republish content from a licensor. Licensed content can add significant value to a company's brand strategy because trusted sources bring balance and credibility, brands can scale their content marketing campaigns along with the pace of the web, users remain within the site, and it is cost-effective. The article explains how to integrate licensed content with existing marketing plans, by first identifying coverage strength and gaps, and recommends keeping the content portfolio as diverse as possible, and to be led by the brand's distribution strategy. Metrics should align with overall content marketing goals, as both licensed and original content can be assessed according to the same performance benchmarks. Supporting examples are provided via case studies from Land Rover, the automotive brand, and Time Inc., the publisher.

10

Trends Snapshot: iBeacon - New ways to connect with shoppers

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Stephen Whiteside, Warc Trends, April 2014

This article looks at iBeacon, a piece of technology that allows every device powered by Apple's latest iOS 7 operating system to transmit and receive unique signals via Bluetooth, across a distance spanning up to 150 feet. View Summary

This article looks at iBeacon, a piece of technology that allows every device powered by Apple's latest iOS 7 operating system to transmit and receive unique signals via Bluetooth, across a distance spanning up to 150 feet. Brands and retailers now have the opportunity to use 'beacons' to send out signals from stores, stadiums and similar locations to trigger an appropriate device to distribute a coupon or a targeted ad. Because iBeacon relies on Bluetooth, it can be more accurate in locating individual shoppers within a more confined area than with GPS or WiFi, the cost of entry is low and iBeacon extends beyond Apple products to include Google Android devices as well. Examples of brands making use of this technology are American Eagle Outfitters, the clothing retailer, Coca-Cola, the soft drinks giant, and the NFL, the American football league. With mobile wallets also slowly taking hold, in combination with iBeacon, customers could have an end-to-end experience in-store solely through an app on their phone. Consumer education is necessary and privacy is a concern, and there are several ways consumers could opt out. The article also offers next steps for marketers and further reading.

11

Groupe Media TFO: Je-ne-sais-quoi Tele two-year campaign

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ARF Ogilvy Awards, Gold, Government & Non-profit, 2014

This case study explains how Canadian broadcaster Télé-Française Ontario (TFO) used a humorous and 'cheeky' campaign to increase viewership. View Summary

This case study explains how Canadian broadcaster Télé-Française Ontario (TFO) used a humorous and 'cheeky' campaign to increase viewership.

The broadcaster was struggling with a perception of being elitist, and so using insights gathered from quantitative and qualitative research a two-year campaign to re-energise the brand was developed.

The campaign elevated "Frenchness" to heroic status, and positioned TFO as the best way for all Ontarians to inject more French into their lives.

By combining uniquely cheeky, bilingual headlines with high-profile media placements, an upbeat French attitude was taken directly to the nation.

All campaign elements drove people to a new microsite that offered unique facts about French culture in the same cheeky, bilingual tone.

Results have been positive, including over 518,000 views of the Living Piano activation and a 2234% increase in the organisation's social media audiences.

12

Trends Snapshot: The rise of mobile messaging apps

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Stephen Whiteside, Warc Trends, Snapshot, January 2014

This Warc Trends Snapshot examines the use of mobile messaging apps, expected to have two billion users worldwide by the end of 2014, and discusses the implications and next steps for brands. View Summary

This Warc Trends Snapshot examines the use of mobile messaging apps, expected to have two billion users worldwide by the end of 2014, and discusses the implications and next steps for brands. Especially popular in emerging markets and among teens, leading apps include WeChat, WhatsApp and Snapchat. The basic messaging functionality threatens telecoms companies' revenues, while the group messaging features put them in competition with social networks such as Facebook. Monetisation strategies are varied and some apps, such as WeChat and KakaoTalk, welcome brands. Leading examples in this medium include 16 Handles, a frozen yoghurt chain, Uniqlo, the retailer, and McDonald's, the quick service restaurant chain. Marketers need to determine the exact role these apps ought to perform. Options include: customer-relationship programmes, the distribution of offers, qualitative research, or as customer service centres.

13

Channel 4/2012 Paralympic Games: ‘Meet The Superhumans’

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Mark Donovan , MRS Awards, Winner, December 2013

This article explains how a Paralympics campaign by Channel 4, the UK television channel, was made successful by its research foundation. View Summary

This article explains how a Paralympics campaign by Channel 4, the UK television channel, was made successful by its research foundation.

Initial quantitative research suggested that people were uncomfortable with disability and seeing Paralympic sport, and in-depth qualitative research provided deeper understanding of how the general public felt.

Three concepts were then tested in research, which found that the concepts could be three layers of one campaign.

They found the 'superhuman' concept provoked a strong (sometimes negative) response, but research suggested that proceeding would help to make the athletes relatable, and change attitudes towards disability.

The resulting campaign grew awareness of Channel 4 as the host broadcaster from 19% to 71%, generated conversion and exceeded reach targets.

14

Channel 4: The implicit impact of product placement

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Andrew Tenzer and James Myring , MRS Awards, Winner, December 2013

This article describes research by Channel 4, the UK television channel, into the impact of product placement. View Summary

This article describes research by Channel 4, the UK television channel, into the impact of product placement.

A gamified approach was created to assess people's implicit response to product placement.

The research found that brand perception can shift by association with a presenter or character.

Viewers were found to be receptive to product placement, especially in cooking shows.

The research has helped Channel 4 to secure a greater amount of product placement revenue, and led to greater understanding of the impact of product placement - including some unexpected results.

15

BBC stream

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MRS Awards, Winner, December 2013

This article describes how the BBC, the UK broadcaster, developed a digital analytics system that allows easier access and visualisation of data. View Summary

This article describes how the BBC, the UK broadcaster, developed a digital analytics system that allows easier access and visualisation of data.

The corporation collects a vast amount of audience data which was previously difficult for non-specialists to understand.

The new tool automatically creates data visualisations such as graphs, and publishes a stream of top line results from each sector of the business.

As a result interest and access of data has increased across the organisation, saving research time and helping teams to make strategic decisions.

16

Sky: Understanding the drivers of customer growth

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Harry Mirpuri, MRS Awards, Winner, December 2013

This article describes how Sky, the UK television network, used research to understand the motivations of people who purchased its products, and how they differed from those who did not. View Summary

This article describes how Sky, the UK television network, used research to understand the motivations of people who purchased its products, and how they differed from those who did not.

The company used existing knowledge and data, conducting regression analysis and taking advice from research partners.

The research led to a change in the company's ad calendar, and the development of new reporting tools.

This case study describes a campaign for Google, the internet technology company, to launch its Chrome internet browser in Thailand, using the technology to tell a traditional story. View Summary

This case study describes a campaign for Google, the internet technology company, to launch its Chrome internet browser in Thailand, using the technology to tell a traditional story.

Research suggested that consumers in this market respect tradition and enjoy seeing traditional stories in a modern context.

The product's capabilities were showcased through the telling of a traditional story - Ramakien - that has been passed down through generations.

As the story was told, interactive experiences demonstrated Chrome's features and security, and Google's services.

During the campaign there was a 53% increase in usage, making it the most widely used browser in Thailand.

18

Spike TV: Bellator MMA Live Launch

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ARF Ogilvy Awards, Gold, Digital & Media, 2013

This campaign was developed to launch Spike TV's new weekly series Bellator MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Live. View Summary

This campaign was developed to launch Spike TV's new weekly series Bellator MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) Live.

The channel had won the rights to broadcast the sports show from MTV2 for the upcoming season.

Seeking to elevate the status of MMA in the minds of viewers to the level of a full-fledged professional sport, the campaign's messaging points included the return of MMA to the network which first made the sport famous, the show's emphasis on the athletes as individuals, and the fact that Bellator MMA Live would use a more democratic, tournament-based structure to determine its champions.

Media ranged from TV, to out-of-home, to digital.

Targets included not just MMA fans, but also general sports fans.

The premiere of Bellator MMA Live was the highest-rated and most-watched Bellator broadcast ever, with 400% more total viewers – and a 200% higher M18-49 rating – than the previous season's premiere.

This campaign aimed to reposition autoTRADER Canada as a digital business, where previously it had been seen as a print brand only. View Summary

This campaign aimed to reposition autoTRADER Canada as a digital business, where previously it had been seen as a print brand only. It was based on the insight that autoTRADER.ca (the website) had the largest car inventory in the country: the tagline was 'The Most Cars In One Place'. Media used included TV, radio, online banners and social media, with all spots emphasising the client's rich inventory. Since launch, traffic to the site rose 18%, and page views increased 76%.

Over a six-year period this three-stage advertising campaign moved from direct marketing, to brand uplift, to fully integrated activity.

Research led to better audience insights, created a more engaging proposition, established a more effective and responsive media schedule, and created a more efficient journey from response to paid subscription.

To reach British mothers during an economically challenging time, FMCG manufacturer P&G needed to stand-out in a noisy marketplace and meet changing media habits, with more focus on digital than TV. View Summary

To reach British mothers during an economically challenging time, FMCG manufacturer P&G needed to stand-out in a noisy marketplace and meet changing media habits, with more focus on digital than TV. P&G recognised that mothers set themselves a series of tasks to accomplish everyday but sometimes lacked the time, energy, expertise and support to get them all done. Supersavvyme.com was launched in 2009, providing a place on Facebook for savvy mums to share their expertise on all aspects of family life. The Mission Control app was developed as an extension to this: a to-do list app that saved all expert tips and made them searchable with product coupons offered in reward for their advice and tasks completed. In the first two weeks of launch, 52,872 tips were shared, nearly 10,000 questions were asked and 33,000 comments were posted to help answer them. Over 33,000 coupons were claimed creating a peak in sales, with coupon redemption rate up 35% compared to standard.

23

Chrome: The web is what you make of it

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Frank Reitgassl, Warc Prize for Asian Strategy, Shortlisted, 2012

Since its launch in Asia, Google’s internet browser Chrome had successfully attracted the tech-aware but had not yet attracted mainstream users. View Summary

Since its launch in Asia, Google’s internet browser Chrome had successfully attracted the tech-aware but had not yet attracted mainstream users. In order to promote Chrome to 20 to 35 year old mainstream internet users in India, Thailand and Indonesia, the campaign took an emotional stance to get people excited about the possibilities of internet by finding ‘heroes’ in these countries. “The web is what you make of it” campaign consisted of 60-second films based around the story of these ‘heroes’ that were shown on TV and supplemented by online banners. The campaign led to Chrome becoming the most popular browser in India and the second most popular browser in Thailand.

24

Comcast Sports Network: World Championship Baby

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Effie Worldwide, Gold, North America Effies 2012

After the 2010 baseball season culminated with the San Francisco Giants winning the city's first-ever World Series, Comcast Sports Network needed a way to keep residents interested in Giants coverage. View Summary

After the 2010 baseball season culminated with the San Francisco Giants winning the city's first-ever World Series, Comcast Sports Network needed a way to keep residents interested in Giants coverage. So an eye-catching search was started to find the Giants World Championship Baby born exactly nine months after the Giants won it. Though the team didn't make the playoffs in 2011, CSN ratings during the promotional period improved by 29% over the same period in 2010.

25

MTV Networks: Now or Never

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Direct Marketing Association - US, Gold, ECHO Awards, 2011

MTV, the music and entertainment TV broadcaster, needed to capture the attention of young people in Spain. View Summary

MTV, the music and entertainment TV broadcaster, needed to capture the attention of young people in Spain. It turned to a campaign that played on the theme of its new docu-drama, "Now or Never", which features four friends and their list of things to do before they die. The campaign staged various stunts and experiences and put them online for viewers. For the show's premiere, 10 hearses drove through Madrid with messages like "I never rode a bike naked" and "I never told my boss off". Onlookers had to go online to learn more. It drew strong media attention and audience objectives were exceeded by 422%.